Waterproof case for watch

ABSTRACT

TWO RINGS ON EITHER SIDE OF A COLLAR OF A WATCH MOVEMENT SECURE THE MOVEMENT IN A CASE WITHOUT SCREWS. THE FIRST RING ENGAGES AN ABUTMENT OF A WATCH CASE, THE SECOND IS HELD IN PLACE BY THE BACK COVER OF THE WATCH CASE. A GASKET MAY BE PLACED BETWEEN THE COVER AND THE SECOND RING.

WATERPROOF CASE FOR WATCH Filed Aug. :20, 1968 FIG./ PRIOR ART 5 x 5 1 A H613 United States Patent Ofice 3,557,548 Patented Jan. 26, 1971 3,557,548 WATERPROOF CASE FOR WATCH Yoshiaki Fujimori, Suwa-shi, Japan, asslgnor to Kabushiki Kaisha Suwa Seikosha, Tokyo, Japan, a company of Japan Filed Aug. 20, 1968, Ser. No. 754,015 Claims priority, application Japan, Aug. 22, 1967, 42/ 71,746 Int. Cl. G04b 37/04 US. Cl. 5894 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Two rings on either side of a collar of a watch movement secure the movement in a case without screws. The first ring engages an abutment of a watch case, the second is held in place by the back cover of the watch case. A gasket may be placed between the cover and the second rlng.

In the conventional apparatus for fixing a watch movement into a case body small screws, perhaps 2 or 3, are used. These screws secure the movement by only the area of their heads. It can be seen that this is a very small area due to the small size of screws that are used in order that they fit into the case. Thus the screw head will break and the movement loosen rather easily.

It is therefore an object of the invention to secure a movement to a case through a means having a large contact area.

In brief, this is achieved through the use of a peripheral collar on the movement which is secured by retaining rings which extend about substantially the entire movement.

These and other objects will become apparent from the description taken in conjunction with the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a cross-section showing a conventional type of waterproof case for a watch;

FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 are cross-sections showing one embodiment of the invention by way of example; and

FIG. 5 is a cross-section of another embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION The present invention relates to a movement fixing means for waterproof watch case.

In the conventional movement fixing means for waterproof watch case as in FIG. 1, for example, the movement 1 is screwed to the casing ring 5 with the case screw 4, said casing ring being fixed by the face 6 of the back cover 2 and by the face 7 of the case body 3. This construction necessitates using the case screw 4. However, the diameter of the screw head is limited in its size owing to the limited space of the movement 1. As all the weight of the movement rests on this small screw, the screw easily breaks or comes off. Therefore, it is difiicult to keep the movement in place for a long time.

The present invention seeks to eliminate the above defect. The object of the present invention is to provide a permanent movement fixing means to the case body without using the case screw in the waterproof watch case.

Referring now to the invention for more detail, in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, a collar 8, having an upper face 9 for engaging the annular ring 11 and a lower face 10 for engaging the annular casing ring 5, are provided on the outer periphery of the movement 1. By attaching the back cover 2, the face 6 of the back cover 2 thrusts up the casing ring 5 to push the collar 8 on the outer periphery of the movement 1, thereby the annular ring 11 is pushed to be fixed by the abutment of face 7 of the case body 3. In addition, the back cover 2 abuts against gasket 13 to get a waterproof seal. Gaps 13, 14 allow casing ring 5, alone, to align the movement, within the case body 3. Without these gaps, the dimensions of ring 7, movement 1, and in case 3 would have to be made to very close tolerances so that the movement would align not only ring 5, but also in ring 11 and case body 3.

In the embodiment of FIG. 5, like parts have been given like numerals. The annular ring 11 and the casing ring 5 engage with the upper and lower part of the collar 8 provided on the outer periphery of the movement 1 respectively. The waterproof gasket 12 is interposed between the annular casing ring 5 and the face 6 of the back cover 2. When the back cover is attached, the face 6 of the back cover 2 pushes the gasket 12 to thrust up the annular casing ring 5, thus the movement is fixed.

As can be seen from the above, the case according to the invention is constructed in such a way that the collar 8 of the movement 1 is interposed between the ring 11 and the casing ring 5 to fix them directly or indirectly between the face 7 of the case body 3 and the face 6 of the back cover 2. No case screw is necessary, which eliminates the play between the case and the movement due to loosening or breakage of screw, thus the movement can be fixed permanently.

Besides, the elimination of the case screw removes the space for the case screw and the movement, naturally the watch itself can be made smaller.

The construction of the casing ring is simplified as no tapping is necessary.

While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be understood that many modifications and changes may be made within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Fixing means for mounting a watch movement within a casing, comprising: a casing rim having an inner abutment; a first ring disposed within said casing rim engaging the underside of said abutment; a second ring disposed Within the casing rim beneath and spaced from the underside of said first ring; a watch movement having a collar disposed in a space between said first and second rings and held between said first and second rings, said collar having a greater outer dimension than the inner diameters of both said rings; and a back cover removably secured to said casing rim supporting the second ring; whereby the back cover secures said second ring and said first and second rings secure the collar of said movement.

2. Fixing means as set forth in claim 1 wherein the outer diameter of said collar is less than the inner diameter of said abutment defining a gap therebetween and wherein the movement is aligned within said casing by said second ring.

3. Fixing means as set forth in claim 1 wherein the outer diameter of said movement is less than the inner diameter of said first ring defining a gap therebetween, and wherein the movement is aligned within said casing by said second ring. I

4. Fixing means as set forth in claim 1 wherein said back cover and rim comprise complementary threads for screwing said back cover onto said casing rim, and further comprising a gasket interposed between said back cover and said second ring whereby a waterproof seal is obtained.

5. Fixing means as set forth in claim 1 wherein said back cover comprises snap means for securing said back cover to said casing rim and further comprising a gasket interposed between said back cover, said casing rim and second ring, whereby a waterproof seal is obtained.

(References on following page) 3 4 References Cited FOREIGN PATENTS UNITED STATES PATENTS 332,879 9 1958 Switzerland 58-90A 2,765,614 10/1956 Steimann RICHARD B. WILKINSON, Primary Examiner 3,355,874 12/1967 Paratte 58----9OA 5 G. H. MILLER, JR., Assistant Examiner 

